Did you ever catch yourself thinking about something that didn't really make sense at the time and then discovered that years later it is actually happening? Well, I have. When I was 17 and reading a book called "Hunger" written by Knut Hamsun, from Norway, and I wondered how would that book sound in the original language.
That's why, as years passed by and I have been admitted to University of Stavanger for an entire semester, I have signed up for a language course just for the sake of reading the original version of "Hunger" (also known as "Sult").
I realised that it has been more than three months since I have arrived to Norway and started a semester so far, and that I never wrote anything about Norway. How selfish of me to keep all that to myself, huh?
To start off, my first 4 days in Norway were catastrophic. I, along with the rest of the emmirians, was promised good and cheep accommodation in Stavanger. However, upon arrival I discovered that 5 of us were placed in Sola, a nearby town. It was horrible. Not only we were supposed to pay almost 600 Euros per month, there was very poor public transportation: two busstops (20 and 30 minutes walking). The buses ran every 30 minutes during the day, God knows if they ran in the evenings, and to go to school -- we had to either walk 30 minutes to get to the busstop, or 20 minutes and chance 2 busses. No shops or supermarkets nearby. NOTHING!! We were trapped in a deserted place which yes, had a nice view to the lake, but it's Norway, there are lakes EVERYWHERE!!
So, I spent 4 days crying and cursing my life for having to end up there. So, I did not sign the contrract and had to find a new place to live. My decision was final. My friends moved out as well.
After quite a traumatic experience I moved out. And so has begun my semester in Norway.
One of the things you should know about Norway is that it is BEAUTIFUL. I have never seen such landscape, fjords, lakes. I admire how the Norwegians live so close to the nature and preserve it. They don't cut trees to open restaurants. They don't destroy architectural landmarks to build unnecessary buildings they won't be able to sell. No. They preserve it all.
Stavanger is rainy. Very rainy. As a matter of fact -- when the sun comes out, the city looks different. It looks magical.
Living in Norway definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. I will probably write about it some other time, when I don't have two gigantic essays and hundreds of pages of academic readings.
That's why, as years passed by and I have been admitted to University of Stavanger for an entire semester, I have signed up for a language course just for the sake of reading the original version of "Hunger" (also known as "Sult").
I realised that it has been more than three months since I have arrived to Norway and started a semester so far, and that I never wrote anything about Norway. How selfish of me to keep all that to myself, huh?
To start off, my first 4 days in Norway were catastrophic. I, along with the rest of the emmirians, was promised good and cheep accommodation in Stavanger. However, upon arrival I discovered that 5 of us were placed in Sola, a nearby town. It was horrible. Not only we were supposed to pay almost 600 Euros per month, there was very poor public transportation: two busstops (20 and 30 minutes walking). The buses ran every 30 minutes during the day, God knows if they ran in the evenings, and to go to school -- we had to either walk 30 minutes to get to the busstop, or 20 minutes and chance 2 busses. No shops or supermarkets nearby. NOTHING!! We were trapped in a deserted place which yes, had a nice view to the lake, but it's Norway, there are lakes EVERYWHERE!!
So, I spent 4 days crying and cursing my life for having to end up there. So, I did not sign the contrract and had to find a new place to live. My decision was final. My friends moved out as well.
After quite a traumatic experience I moved out. And so has begun my semester in Norway.
One of the things you should know about Norway is that it is BEAUTIFUL. I have never seen such landscape, fjords, lakes. I admire how the Norwegians live so close to the nature and preserve it. They don't cut trees to open restaurants. They don't destroy architectural landmarks to build unnecessary buildings they won't be able to sell. No. They preserve it all.
Stavanger is rainy. Very rainy. As a matter of fact -- when the sun comes out, the city looks different. It looks magical.
Living in Norway definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. I will probably write about it some other time, when I don't have two gigantic essays and hundreds of pages of academic readings.
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